Trams and light railways

Legal rights and regulations

Light railways and trams come under the Rail Vehicle Accessibility (Non Interoperable Rail System) Regulations 2010 (RVAR 2010). This sets the standards for access for wheelchair users, and the size and location of handrails, handholds and control devices, as well as providing passenger information systems and other equipment.

Journey planning

Contact the individual operators for service information. All have online and telephone service information, including details of fares, access and any assistance offered.

Concessions

Concessionary and discounted fares are available for older and disabled passengers on all services. Contact your operator or local authority for details. Disabled Persons Railcards and Senoir Railcards can be used on the London Underground, Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and Merseyrail Underground.

Access

The vast majority of light railway and tram services are modern, newly developed services and have high levels of access.

Wheelchair users

All services have wheelchair-accessible platforms and, importantly, level access between the platform and carriage, so you don't need ramps.

Mobility scooter users

You can now also travel on your scooter on the majority of tram and light-rail services. Some services have size restrictions and require you to apply for a permit - this may mean being assessed to ensure you can manoeuvre safely. We have produced a summary of tram companies' policies (PDF).

Our section on taking mobility scooters on buses has more information about permit schemes in general. As at April 2014, all tram companies with permit schemes used the same size restrictions as are used on buses.